


where my heart is

by liarouge



Category: Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 06:18:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17678051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liarouge/pseuds/liarouge
Summary: When you have someone to come home to.





	where my heart is

It's been a long day. 

Barrett's feet are tired and heavy as he steps off the boat onto Alvarna's pier, looks out at the sleeping town blanketed in the late night. His return home was delayed by a day, thanks to the unfortunate timing of getting a vase of water spilled on him right as he's about to leave the Swallow Inn in Selphia. On top of that, he ended up getting pulled into helping out with an Earthmate crisis. 

Well, he didn't mind staying to help out the Earthmate. But the day he actually set out for home again hasn't been particularly kind to him. His flight on the airship had to make a stop to avoid some major turbulence, which did no favors for his motion sickness, and even after that ordeal was done, he ended up having to take the very last, and very late, ship ride of the day back to the pier. 

The guidance of the streetlights and the night cold keep him company as he makes his slow walk home. Barrett hears nothing but his own footsteps as he walks down the west end of town. When he passes by the long staircase leading up to the school, he looks and can only see the dark at the top. It's not that traveling to Selphia for his studies isn't nice, but he's missed his students at the school. He's missed this town, and he thinks about how he probably never would've thought that back in his younger days (and that's how he knows he's old now). 

His bag's heavy, and his shoulders are sore. When he passes by the church, he can see through the stained glass windows that all the candles are out for the night. Gordon and Cammy are probably asleep by now—though maybe Gordon's helping himself to a glass or two before bed. 

Once his house is in view, he stops where he is. 

He can see a faint light from the windows by the patio. He thought that his family would be sleeping like the rest of Alvarna already. But the sight of the lit windows, of his home, from the dark and quiet street he's standing in makes his heart ache all of the sudden. 

He's missed her so badly. 

Something comes to his eyes from deep inside, but he shuts them tight before taking a deep breath and making his way to the door, his steps brisk. 

He finds Dorothy at the dinner table. She's in her nightgown, alone, a warm cup of tea cradled in her hands. Her head jerks up at the sound of the door. When she sees Barrett come into the kitchen, she immediately stands and goes over to him. 

“B-Barrett, you're home—” 

She's about to fret over him but instead squeaks when he pulls her into a firm embrace. She takes a moment of surprise before her arms wrap around his back, fingers clinging to his coat. Her voice is soft, “What's wrong?”

He buries his face in the crook of her neck, in her scent of flowers and something else all her own, and he breathes her in. In her arms, in their home, where he belongs. 

“No,” he brings his head to kiss her temple, and he murmurs against it, “It's been a long day, that's all.”

They stay in their embrace for a while. He asks, “Why were you up?”

“Leonel and Yuri are sleeping already… s-so, umm, I-I just thought, I'd have some tea to… relax…” Dorothy pulls back from his arms and bites her lip before looking up at him. “You didn't come back yesterday, a-and… I was worried…”

Barrett sweeps a strand of hair away from her face, cups her cheek against his palm. God, even after being married for so long, he doesn't think he'll ever not melt when she looks at him with her deep red eyes. “Sorry I wasn't home. Something… came up in Selphia.” He kisses her forehead, “I'll tell you about it later, I'm just… tired right now.”

“Mm… Were you okay on the trip home? Did you get sick?”

He grimaces. “Well, I lived somehow.” 

Dorothy presses her lips together before asking, “H-Have you eaten yet?”

He gives a short chuckle as he tells her he's not hungry. 

“Ah, th-then… do you want to take a bath?”

Barrett stares her down a bit and waits as Dorothy's face gradually gets flustered. His mouth slowly curves into a smirk as he rubs her back and asks, “You gonna take one with me?”

Her cheeks quickly flush into a deep pink as she stammers out that she already bathed earlier. He laughs again. “Kidding, I'm kidding. I'll shower in the morning. I just want some sleep now.” 

She nods again. Then her mouth opens as she seems to remember something. Dorothy smiles at him before drawing his face down for a kiss to his tired lips. “Welcome home, dear.”

He returns her smile and pulls his wife close.

**Author's Note:**

> well i sure haven't posted anything since 2015; hopefully it won't take that long to post another one in the future  
> for everyone who stops by to read my little fics for my otp: thank you, very sincerely.


End file.
